Omingo Obiko's Blog

Fair Thee Well

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 06:43:00 +0000

This blog has been moved to http://www.wannabegeek.co.ke

Thanks for keeping tuned.

Omingo Obiko

Social Experiment: Get #Twaffic Updates here!

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Late today afternoon, I had a thought to crowd-source traffic information via Twitter, just for Nairobi. I passed on the idea to fellow Iborian tweeps (twitter-people) and response is slow but sure, sure. Not wanting to sound cliche, however, we are a peculiar people. If M-Pesa worked 'on' us and refuses to work in TZ, what else could? I wonder...

So this is how it would/could work. When in traffic, be it slow or fast anyone who's on twitter may tweet the traffic situation on the road they are using with the hashtag #Twaffic to show it is a traffic update and the hashtag #yourRoad refering to whichever road the tweep is using. For example

"#twaffic #JogooRd Very clear. No need to use Eastleigh route..."

"#twaffic There is a parking lot on #UhuruHighway Just popped out to the Iko-Toilet to take a leak and I'm back!"

Now, with everyone sending in such info, knowing the traffic situation before you leave for work/home or as you are driving would be as easy as checking your #twaffic updates! Easy peasy, right? Of course, you hope fellow tweeps on #yourRoad do the same, thus result for #twaffic + #yourRoad are more useful. For those who have not used the summize search tool for twitter, it is available at search.twitter.com

Let's see if we can do this tweeple! It'll benefit us all, heck, we can even have a hitch-hikers club (actually *carpooling*) like this one!

Further Reading: This is just part one of the social experiment. If it goes as planned we could make it a bit juicier maybe by also tagging the traffic situation (go ahead if you could though), i.e.

#Level1 - Clear/Cruising

#Level2 - Almost Clear/Afew stops though

#Level3 - Moderate/Slow but moving

#Level4 - Very Slow/Almost at a standstill

#Level5 - Parking Lot/Please use another route if you can

PS: Hash tags were not actually invented by the Founding Fathers (@ev and @biz) they were actually trended into being... :-)

#YouKnowYourKenyanGeek when...

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:43:00 +0000

This space has been very lonely lately... mostly my fault. I'd actually delayed some posts hoping to put them up once I re-launch... as if I need to! Anyway, this post is just a reminder that I still do exist in this here blogosphere. I mis-read my timetable which I still refuse to copy, that is, until I can get them into my phone organizer, as in, in soft copy. Now I have some time to spare- I seldom do.

Brings me to the topic of the post. Am I that much of a geek? Many of my pals think so. But I don't. No. Really! If I am, well, here goes a few traits that will get you branded a geek. Kenyan version.

Obie's list of #YouKnowYourKenyanGeek when...

1. You think facebook is for wimps and twitter is uber cool lakini myspace ilikupita...

2. You subscribed to skunkworks mailing list and even once did to dear Robert's Bidii<--- *awesome dude, that one!*

3. You hate SufferingCon(and actually use that whack satire) but always gawk at their myriad of offers... *speakin of which does okoa jahazi really work with data*.

4. You know everything about cool gadgets you have never/will never own.

5. You met the most influential people in your life via twitter, linkedin etc ofcourse not via facebook.

6. #you #use #hash #tags #like #these #orevenmuchbetterlikethis!

7. You carry your laptop in it's branded back-pack/ruck-sack(whatever you call it) and still think you've concealed the fact that you are carrying one.

8. Most of the books you claim to have read are Audio Books.

9. You have tried surfing or have modems for every provider in the country Safcom, Zain, Orange, Yu(IkoNet?).

10. You actually understood everything in this list and can come up with a list of geeky kenyan traits, but you actually haven't been outta the country!

Feel free to add more Kenyan flavor to this list. I'm sure I got some wrong. But left out alot too. Anyway, the above will mostly get you branded one! Notice that I ain't really a geek?

RoboCon Kenya '09 Nairobi Regional

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:47:00 +0000

First Peaks

The Ministry of Higher Education and Technology has organized a Robot Contest (RoboCon), between Kenyan Universities and middle level colleges. The regional competition is taking place today at the Kenya Polytechnic. Here are the first looks at the Robots from institutions taking part in the competition.

Nairobi University Robot, Stephanie

Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology Robot

Nairobi Technical Training Institute Robot

Kenya Technical Training Institute Robot

Machakos Institute of Technology Robot

For more information on RoboCon click here.

My TEDx Nairobi... Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:51:00 +0000

Paula Kahumbu - WildLife Direct

This self professed tree hugger does not watch TV. Instead she has 'the wild' for her daily dose of actions and admits she fights for the environment for a selfish reason. She just wants to enjoy it.

Many Kenyans, including me, have grown up being taught that we should conserve and preserve the environment for the sake of tourism. To get the much needed foreign exchange! But do we value the abundant resources that are bestowed on us for our own sake. She made an interesting comparison between our GDP KSh~25-30Bn compared to what the US makes from Bee Industry KSh~15Bn.

To 'save the world', ecologically, there needs to be invested a sum of $45Bn towards conservation, preservation and restoration efforts. The ROI on this is estimated to be upwards of $1Trillion. Aly-Khan Satchu would agree that this is a damn good investment, she quips!

Paula runs WildLife Direct whose focus is communicating real stories in real time concerning WildLife and Environment preservation and raising funds to create awareness on the need to do so.

Boniface 'Tear-Jerker' Mwangi - Picha Mtaani

Knowing Boniface from his accolades of Photo-Journalism, there I was wondering how one who expresses his experiences through a camera lens would do so without one ~~now that projector' s (Tonee's PC) was just being M$~~. His piece was definitely last but not least. Infact IMHO this was the climax of the event.
Don't think I'd tell it better than the TED vid will. Born to a mother of seven, fathered by five and orphaned at seventeen, the story of his life up until the PEV and the awards that followed his pictures is nothing short of breathtaking.

As, I'd said before the Vids should be out from TED.com soon

Thanks Kaboro for the invite!

My TEDx Nairobi... Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:31:00 +0000

Now this was one event I that will live in my heart. It was as it promised to be, a confluence of people with ideas worth spreading! For a moment there, I couldn't help notice that there was a little part of me in everyone who spoke... and what was most thrilling was the emotional roller coaster that we rode.

The Line-Up

Moses Kemibaro (Dottsavvy)

Crystal Watley (Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development)

She, like I do, believes access to knowledge is a basic human right -infact it is the line tha seperates the rich and the poor. She runs three local non-4-profits that help distribute information and skills to some dis/misinformed rural communities. She says many women where she works do believe that their fate is to live through struggling.

From her experiences in trying to get them informed, she describes listening as not asking the community-folk how they can be helped, but rather having the patience to know the right questions to ask.

Crystal and her team are soon launching self-sustaining MICEYs(Mobile Information Centre Empowering Youth) which are similar to the government's Digital Village, but on wheels.

"Information impoverishment causes material poverty."

"The road to where I am has been long and streneous, but through faith, creativity, and determination, I know we will change the future of Kenya".

AlyKhan-Satchu (Rich Management)
Author: Any one can be rich.

Call me slow but still did not get the Alphabet Soup Title. Correct me if I'm wrong (L-Burst, V-Boom-Burst-Boom, W-Boom-Burst-Boom-Burst-Boom)? Anyway in such a gathering it would be prudent to believe that I was surrounded by genius!

Aly-Khan Satchu was born in Mombasa , read Law at the University of Durham and worked for 15 years in the City Of London. He now runs a finacial portal, which again, is disseminating live information from the NSE floor. I think this became the informal theme of the event... Since 2003 Aly-Khan has been trading his own funds primarily Commodities (particularly Oil) Currency Futures and Options, Equity Indices and Single Stocks.

One of the interesting facts that he mentioned was that Kenya has 1.75M share holders registered at the NSE compared to about 100,000 at the JSE, insinuating that we have a very volatile yet unpredictable stock market that could swing both ways.

Africa – The Old Story is one of exploitation, where 90% of trade has been crude oil which has only benefitted the power brokers.
Africa – The Last Convergence (ie the Last Frontier in terms of information - Fibre), is plugging in the 'Little Boy', by investing in Information.

Tonee Ndungu (Wazimba.org)

Now this is the 'act' I was waiting for, and Antony said he had prepared for this one. He fell just short of a stand-up comedian, but pushed through an inspiring message.
Having studied IR and Journalism at USIU he's worked for UNDP and a local FM station, he cheekily contrasts the former as one where most knew more than he did and the latter where most knew less than he did.

He is passionate about helping young kenyans to use new media for self expression, self assertion and self reliance. He founded Wazimba (swahili for extraordinary). He is also working on a project (NOCON- Blue Tooth Stumbling) for virally disseminating potentially powerful information which I had described here.

As many people tell us the information that we require to transform lives in Africa is at our fingertips. Tonee is more worried about 'who' these fingertips are. He poses a challenge to us, the informed 'finger-tips' to play a role in forming partnerships and networks like his and be the difference.

“The story of my life is rather simple. It's complex.”
To twitter-folk, “We don't want to change the world.”

Elizabeth Njoroge ( The Art of Music / Classics Magazine)

Liz is a pharmacist turned musician who began the story of her life from her undergraduate years in the UK and her love affair with music. When she finally came home she was baffled by the lack of appreciation of Classicals, a genre that's typically regarded as 'un-african'.

Liz decided to tak it upon herself to bring together listeners and musicians alike who appreciated the music and began a five page newsletter. The newsletter is now a full-run magazine. She runs a weekly show on Capital FM where she plays classical music and encourages it's appreciation and performance.

Amongst other projects she uses music as a platform to teach kids from dis-advantaged background certain values such as patience, teamwork, their culture and hopefully for some to take up the music itself to another level. This, she calls Edu-tainment.

Liz also runs Classicals Evenings (Monthly) – Safaricom Sponsored, Kenya Boys Choir (Obama's inauguration performers, Robert de Niro's -private bash:-), whose debut album, Spirit of Africa was successfully launched in London at the end of June,

and now documenting folk music. She wound up her talk with a very very BEAUTIFUL 'Benediction' song. This was definitely one of my highlights.

Dr. Nyokabi Musila (Sci- ~~Art~~Culturist)

Nyokabi is not your typical Doctor who ~~knew~~ didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up. She couldn't bear complacency with the fact that scientists loved to work in their own 'little box' away from the people they are trying to help.

As a health care professional and honorary post-doctoral research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she however believes in the fusion of Arts and Sciences. Nyokabi drew inspiration from Leornardo da Vinci (personal favorite) who was a polymath, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer - The Rennaisance man.

Nyokabi wants to change the world by spreading happiness and challenging us in the science field to discover our artistic selves.

"You are an artist, what's the canvas of your expression?"

Kwame Nyongo (~~jimmy humuhumunukunukuapuwa's little brotha ;)~~)

I first came across Kwame Nyongo's work here. He's an advocate for the promotion of arts and animation in Africa. At TEDx, Kwame presented 'A Case for animation in Africa'.

Citing the Japanese Animation Industry, of Naruto etc fame, Kwame would like to see Africa's Artists take the this form of art and make it theirs. Instead of trying to make the 'Cow and Chicken's' which are based on foreign markets, Kwame sees a great opportunity for providing local content.

He has recently been involved in the UNESCO Africa Animated Priject where he served as an animation trainer and has more such workshops planned for the near future.

Kwame spent much of the fall of 2008 working as a Computer Art Director for Tiger Tinga's 'Tinga Tinga Tales'. This 52-part 11 min childrens animated series is set to become the next big thing when it hits the world's airwaves on The Disney Channel and BBC C-Beebies in December 2009. More on his online portfolio...

Paula Kahumbu (Wildlife Direct)

.....

To Be Continued

Skunkworks Meeting/Talk: Dr. Bitange Ndemo

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:58:00 +0000

There will be a Skunkworks Meeting, this Tuesday, 4th August at Teleposta Towers, 4th Floor, MMU. The we are honored to have the Information and Communication PS, Bitange Ndemo, giving the talk. The talk will cover the following topics:

ICT Entrepreneurship in Kenya
Fibre; What it can do for Kenya
The one million laptop's project.

Meeting starts at 6pm.I understand there will be 'swagger'... Refreshments will be served.

Invitation to Public Talk on "Technology and Business in Kenya"

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Time: 2.30 pm Date: Tuesday, 4th August
Venue: Engineering Department, University of Nairobi
Speaker: Dr. Luke Ouko

Luke Ouko graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
Media Lab in Media Arts and Sciences specializing in Media Technology.
He did most of his research at MIT's Architecture department's
E-Commerce Architecture Group as a fellow. Previously he studied
Computer Science at Stanford University, Public Policy at Georgetown
and Marketing at Nairobi University.

Ouko's main research interests are in the areas of technology and it's
impact on learning, innovation and development, the semantic web and
cellular automata.

Ouko is currently in charge of technology at an IT consulting company,
Verve, where their main focus is providing information management
solutions to local organizations. The company is also building a
portal for grey (unpublished material) in the East African region.

MIT-UoN FABLAB DESIGN CHALLENGE

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:57:00 +0000

The newly acquired MIT Fablab at the University of Nairobi’s Science and Technology Park is a unique and exciting design environment created to encourage innovation. The Fablab is equipped with mostly table-top CNC machines will serve as a rapid prototyping center in the Science Park’s business incubator.

This new set-up requires furniture suited to laboratory work. The Science Park Management is launching a competition for the design of the furniture. The winner of the competition will receive a special mention at the forth-coming MIT Fab 5 meeting in India, and a feature on the Fab web-site. They will also be given the opportunity to be part of the team that fabricates the furniture using the ShopBot CNC router.

The specifications are as follows:

Working surfaces made from block-board which can be used for placing computers on (neat arrangements that ensure that cabling is barely visible)
Facilitation in the working stations for localized lighting so that work can continue at night
Lockable storage space for electronic components and materials for laser cutter, vinyl cutter, CNC sewing machine, laser scanner
Lockable storage space for workshop tools such as drills, hammers, vices...

Contact me if you would like to participate!

Maker Faire Africa: Ghana, Aug 14-16

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:49:00 +0000

From Afrigadget, WhiteAfrican

Maker Faire Africa (MFA) is a new event celebrating the innovation, ingenuity and invention within Africa - happening August 14-16 of this year in Accra, Ghana.

It'll be a convergence of the types of individuals who show up on AfriGadget and Timbuktu Chronicles, and the ethos of the greater MAKE community, all with the blessings of the good folks at Maker Faire. The dates were chosen to coincide with Amy Smith’s and MIT’s International Development and Design Summit (IDDS), which will run for 3 weeks before MFA, also in Ghana.

As Emeka puts it:

The aim of a Maker Faire-like event is to create a space on the continent where Afrigadget-type innovations, inventions and initiatives can be sought, identified, brought to life, supported, amplified, propagated, etc. Maker Faire Africa asks the question, “What happens when you put the drivers of ingenious concepts from Mali with those from Ghana and Kenya, and add resources to the mix?”

How You can Support MFA

First off, help spread the word! Let people know where and when it will be. Share the link to the site, grab a badge, blog it.

Second, help us find sponsors. If you know an organization or individual who would like to support this amazing event, put us in touch with them. It could be monetary, or it could be donating some cool gadgets, gear, tools or devices for people to hack on while there. (example idea: we’d love to get some LEGO Mindstorm kits for the local high schools).

Third, come. If you have the time and ability, we’d love to have you, your ideas and your gadgets at MFA.

The Team

Emeka Okafor of Timbuktu Chronicles and the Director of TED Africa
Erik Hersman, Founder of AfriGadget
Lars Hasselblad Torres, Director MIT IDEAS Competition
Mark Grimes, Founder Ned.com and Founder NedSpace
Nii Simmonds of Nubian Cheetah

Want to get involved yourself? Get in touch!

2nd Strathmore Mobile BootCamp

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:44:00 +0000

A mobile boot camp is a crash-course session usually spanning 2 – 3 days, whereby participants will gain insights on mobile application development as well as acquire practical skills on the use of current platforms, frameworks and tools used for the development of mobile applications.

Strathmore University’s inaugural Mobile Boot Camp was held was held on 28th and 29th of November, 2008. More than 100 information technology developers (programmers) and students attended the event. Strathmore Research and Consultancy Centre (SRCC) hosted the event in collaboration with the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT).

This year Strathmore University will hold the mobile boot camp on the 9th to 11th July, 2009. The camp will be held under the theme; “Mobile Applications for Development in Africa“. The event will be capped off with a mobile development competition, inviting mobile applications in the fields of M-Learning, M-Health and M-Agriculture.

Charges for this 3-day event are:

Students: 700 /= (inclusive of lunch for the 3 days)
Non-students: 1500/= (inclusive of lunch for the 3 days)

Register on Facebook and check out http://www.strathmore.edu/aboutus.php?id=171

Also see what was discussed on our live blog then. Watch this space for more!

Mobile BootCamp II

ROBOCON KENYA 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:46:00 +0000

The ministry of higher education has organized a Robot Contest between kenyan universities and middle level colleges. The contest will be based on the need to provide sufficient food to the Kenyan communities for their upkeep. For this to be achieved the food must be transported from the granary to different communities by a community leader referred to as “MFADHILI” (our robot in this case). Read more

Budgeting for UoN Electric Vehicle Project

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Following up on the Electric Vehicle we will be building, I collected sample quotations and the budget would look something like this. Since we have been generously granted a sufficient budget through Atelier Vrijdag we have these two otpions either for remodelling the Subaru to a 144V EV System or building a smaller 72V system from scratch!

The 144V (30hp Continuous) Subaru conversion using 12v Batteries with a full drive system and battery system. We however would like to change this to an AC Induction motor since Regenerative Braking which is an important consideration for our EV.

	QUOTATION

	ELECTRIC VEHICLES OF AMERICA, INC.
	16 LEHNER STREET P.O. BOX 2037
	WOLFEBORO, NH 03894
	(603) 569-2100
	FAX (603) 569-2115
	EVAmerica@aol.com

	144 V SYSTEM - CAR PACKAGE
	USING 12V BATTERIES

		UNIT	TOTAL
QTY	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	PRICE
	DRIVE SYSTEM
1	FB1-4001A Advanced DC Motor with dual shaft	$1,550.00	$1,550.00
	( 72V - 144V ) 18HP - 30HP
1	1231C-8601 Curtis Controller	$1,495.00	$1,495.00
	96V - 144V 500 Amp Limit
1	Aluminum Plate/ heat sink compound/ 12V fan	$50.00	$50.00
1	PB-6 Curtis Potbox	$90.00	$90.00
2	Albright Contactor SW-200 (12V coil)	$150.00	$300.00
1	Adapter Plate with Spacers (2)	$400.00	$400.00
	Manual Transmission - Clutchless
1	Motor Coupling (Aluminum)	$325.00	$325.00
	Manual Transmission - Clutchless

	BATTERY SYSTEM
1	Quick Charge Charger Programmable QPXW-144-20/8	$880.00	$880.00
	144VDC 230VAC 20Amps 115VAC 8Amps
24	Battery Terminal Protective Covers (Red & Black)	$1.50	$36.00
25	ft 2/0 Cable - ( Black )	$4.00	$100.00
25	ft 2/0 Cable - ( Red )	$4.00	$100.00
40	2/0 lugs - Magna lug ( includes 6 90 degree )	$2.50	$100.00
5	ft Heat Shrink with sealant	$6.00	$30.00

	INSTRUMENTATION
1	80-180 Voltmeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00
1	0-400 Ammeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00
1	50 mV Shunt - 400A	$30.00	$30.00

	POWER BRAKES
1	Gast Vacuum Pump (12V)	$225.00	$225.00
1	SquareD Vacuum Switch	$135.00	$135.00
1	In-line Fuseholders with 20 Amp Fuse	$5.00	$5.00

	SAFETY
1	Littelfuse L25S-400	$55.00	$55.00
1	Littelfuse holder	$25.00	$25.00
1	KLK Fuse & Holder - HV Control Wiring	$20.00	$20.00
1	Pair Anderson connectors SBX-350 (Red)	$64.00	$64.00
1	Fuseholder (4) - Control Board	$15.00	$15.00
1	First Inertia Switch - Auto Shutoff (12V Sys)	$45.00	$45.00

	TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
A/R	EVA calculations		N/C
1	EVA Installation Manual		N/C
	Includes schematics, drawings, etc.
1	Safety First & S-10 Conversion Video DVD		N/C
A/R	On-Line Assistance @ EVAmerica@aol.com		N/C
	1 year Subscription to EVAmerica		NC
			---------------
	SUBTOTAL		$6,205.00
	EVAmerica Coupons - Package		-$170.00
			---------------
	TOTAL ( Shipping - not included)		$6,035.00


	New Hampshire has no Sales Tax!
	This saves people in some states - hundreds of dollars!


	OPTIONAL EV COMPONENTS
	TO REPLACE OR SUPPLEMENT ABOVE

	DRIVE SYSTEM
1	203-06-4001A Advanced DC Motor with dual shaft	$1,350.00	$1,350.00
	( 72V - 120V ) 16HP - 26HP
1	Motor Mount for FB1 motor	$180.00	$180.00

	BATTERY SYSTEM
1	Quick Charge Charger Programmable OP-144-8	$500.00	$500.00
	144VDC 115VAC 8Amps
1	Quick Charge Charger Programmable QPX-144-20	$800.00	$800.00
	144VDC 230VAC 20Amps
1	Zivan NG3 Charger On/Off Board 144VDC 220VAC 2800 Watts	$1,030.00	$1,030.00
12	Trojan T-1275 12V Batteries	Upon Request

	INSTRUMENTATION
1	0-500 Ammeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00

	POWER BRAKES
1	Vacuum Gauge (Initial Set-up)	$15.00	$15.00

	SAFETY
1	Astrodyne SP-480 DC-DC Converter	$280.00	$280.00
	132-370VDC Input (pair Anderson SB-50 red and Relay)
	Recommended for headlights, wipers, etc.
1	Zivan DC-DC Converter 144 VDC Input 14 VDC Output	$530.00	$530.00
	Recommended for headlights, wipers, etc.
1	Littelfuse L25S-400	$55.00	$55.00
1	Pair Anderson connectors SBX-350 (Red)	$64.00	$64.00
1	Pair Anderson connectors SB-50 (Red)	$20.00	$20.00
1	Electric Heater Components	$180.00	$180.00
	(Heater, mount, contactor, Anderson SB-50 connector, fuse)
14	Ft - 1 1/2 inch clear vinyl hose for 2/0 cable protection	$1.50	$21.00
10	Insulated Metal Clamps for Vinyl Hose	$1.00	$10.00

The 72V (2-12hp) 'Vortex-like' NEV construction also using six 12v Batteries with full drive system and battery system. Have a look at the XP-HUMM-E to have an idea of what I have in mind.

	QUOTATION

	ELECTRIC VEHICLES OF AMERICA, INC.
	16 LEHNER STREET P.O. BOX 2037
	WOLFEBORO, NH 03894
	(603) 569-2100
	FAX (603) 569-2115
	EVAmerica@aol.com

	72V SYSTEM

		UNIT	TOTAL
QTY	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	PRICE
	DRIVE SYSTEM
1	A00-4009 Advanced DC Motor	$575.00	$575.00
	24-72V 2-12Hp
1	ALLTrax AXE-7245 Controller 24-72V 450 Amp Limit	$640.00	$640.00
1	PB-6 Curtis Potbox	$90.00	$90.00
1	Albright Contactor SW-180B (12V coil)	$90.00	$90.00

	BATTERY SYSTEM
1	Quick Charge Charger Programmable OP-72-20	$500.00	$500.00
	72VDC 115VAC 20Amps
12	Battery Terminal Protective Covers (Red & Black)	$1.50	$18.00
10	ft 2/0 Cable - ( Black )	$4.00	$40.00
10	ft 2/0 Cable - ( Red )	$4.00	$40.00
32	2/0 lugs - Magna lug ( includes 6 90 degree )	$2.50	$80.00
4	ft Heat Shrink with sealant	$6.00	$24.00

	INSTRUMENTATION
1	0-100 Voltmeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00
1	0-400 Ammeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00
1	50 mV Shunt - 400A	$30.00	$30.00

	SAFETY
1	ANN-400 Fuse and Fuseholder	$67.00	$67.00
1	Fuseholder (4) - Control Board	$15.00	$15.00

	TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
1	EVA Installation Manual		N/C
	includes drawings, manufacturers data, etc
1	EVA "Safety First" Video		N/C
			------------
	SUBTOTAL		$2,339.00
	EVAmerica Package Discount		-$74.00
			------------
	TOTAL ( Shipping - not included)		$2,265.00


	Notes:
	1. Shipping extra.
	2. Battery Prices may vary slightly with location.


	OPTIONAL EV COMPONENTS
	TO REPLACE OR SUPPLEMENT ABOVE

	DRIVE SYSTEM
1	203-06-4001A Advanced DC Motor with dual shaft	$1,350.00	$1,350.00
	( 72V - 120V ) 16HP - 26HP
1	1209B-6402 Curtis Controller	$780.00	$780.00
	48V - 72V 400 Amp Limit
1	Magura Twist Grip 0-5 K pot	$55.00	$55.00

	INSTRUMENTATION
1	Curtis Fuel Gauge 72VDC - 900R	$150.00	$150.00
1	0-500 Ammeter (Westberg 2in Black)	$65.00	$65.00

	BATTERY SYSTEM
1	Zivan NG1 Charger On/Off Board 72VDC 115VAC 900 Watts	$530.00	$530.00

I have a tough task ahead to source for the parts locally since the shipping may cost us half our budget. If you are in Kenya I would appreciate any information on the best deals in town. I will keep you posted...

Imagine Cup East and Southern Africa Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Team Eureka from Ethiopia!

Team Members Full Names:
Gezahegn Fikadu, Salessawi Ferede, Tewodros Kidane

Mentor: SINTAYEHU CHALLA

Title of Project:
Dolphin: The Portable Heart Monitor

Project Overview:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heart attacks (myocardial infractions) are the leading cause of death all over the world. A heart attack could occur suddenly and it requires immediate medical attention. If it is untreated for a sufficient period it can cause damage to the heart muscles and eventually leads to death. Our system tries to solve the problem by creating an infrastructure that enables heart patients to get emergency medical care right when they need it. In a nutshell what our system does is, monitors a person’s electrocardiograph (ECG) and detects a heart attack at its earliest stage. After detection occurs it automatically reads the patient’s location from the GPS receiver and transmits it to an emergency center via the telephone network, where emergency personnel can view the location and name of the patient on a map. All the patient has to do is put on three ‘stickers’ (sensor electrodes) on her chest which plug into a Windows Mobile device via a custom designed hardware which we built. On the Windows mobile device the signal processing software we designed will be running. Our system is composed of a data acquisition hardware, a software that runs on a mobile phone, and a client server system that runs at an emergency call center.

Technology/Software Used:
Visual Studio 2008, .NET Framework, .NET Compact Framework, ASP.NET Web Service, Windows Mobile SDK (including Microsoft FakeGPS helper), Windows Live SDK (Virtual Earth), and SQL Server Express

I will be sure to keep you posted on their progress at the World-Wide Finals in Egypt!
For more info: www.imaginecup.com

Join us for MobileTech for Social Change Camp in Nairobi!

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Saturday, June 27, 2009 from 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM (GMT+0300)

My No.1 tech-girl, Jessie, has invited you and me to a day-long camp on mobile technology for social change at Strathmore University in Nairobi. We will explore mobile tech to advance social development and social change goals. As always it will be participatory and interactive.

More on Mobile Tech 4 Social Change camps all around the world on the M4Change wiki.

Participants
YOU - register today here!

Cost:
$15 USD (pay here) or 1,000 KSh at the door and 500 KSh for Students with ID. The cost will be used to defray costs for food throughout the day.

Planners
Jessica Colaco
Juliana Rotich
Katrin Verclas
Sponsors
Strathmore University
MobileActive.org
If you want to be an angel and sponsor this entirely community-supported event, we would love you and promote you and happily take your money. Contact katrin@mobileactive.org

NB: This event is open to anyone with passion and interest in the topic. Will include a fun afterparty with "Just a Band"

PS: For those of you who will not make it I will be blogging Live from the event so you can Watch This Space!

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=33cef61097" &amp;gt;Mobile Tech 4 Change Nairobi&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Student Engineer Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Magazines & Newspape edsamichblogspot.com

Imagine Cup East and Southern Africa Semi-Finals

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:17:00 +0000

The Semi-Finals round for East and Southern Africa for Imagine Cup is being held right here in Kenya at the United states International University tomorrow. There will be teams participating from Kenya(17), Uganda(2), Tanzania(1), Ethiopia(1) and Rwanda(1).

The participants have projects in many different categories like Software Design , Embedded Development, Photography and Multi-point Education. For more details on the competition, find out here.

Finally some good news for the participants. We have an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) interested in hiring a good number of the best students who present their projects at the finals! This is your chance to secure employment at one of the major ISVs in the region. In order to be eligible for this, you will have to go to http://www.s2bprogram.com/WECA and register there, then complete your profile. The hiring company will use the information you enter here and your performance at the finals to select candidates for employment. This is an exciting opportunity for all of you!

Date: June 5^th, 2009 (this Friday)
Venue: Kenya at the United States International University (USIU) – See the map on their site for directions: here
Time: From 9.00 am

PS: Dr. Bitange Ndemo, PS, Information and Communications Ministry + 250 Students will be in attendance. Dont miss out!

Some favourite Kenyan Tech Mailing Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:58:00 +0000

I have been asked severally by pals to forward them to some of the insightful Tech-Mailing lists but haven't come around to each one so this one should do atleast for now. (Mnajijua...)

Kenya Internet Users Forum (General Users and Techies)
ke-internetusers mailing list
Send to: ke-internetusers@bdix.net
Register at: http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers

Kenya ICT Action Network (Policy and Governance)
kictanet mailing list
Send to: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke
Register at: http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

Skunk-Works KE (Techie Mailing List)
Skunkworks mailing list
Send to: Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
Register at: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
Other services @ http://my.co.ke
Other lists
-------------
Skunkworks announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce
Science - http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science
kazi - http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general

Ubuntu Kenyan LocoTeam (Ubuntu users Mailing List)
Ubuntu-ke Mailing List
Send to: ubuntu-ke@lists.ubuntu.com.
Register at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-ke

Hey people feel free to add in the comments if I've left some out...

Nominees for the Kalasha Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:44:00 +0000

As I had mentioned earlier, we shall soon be celebrating the stars of Kenyan Film and Television. Hyped to be the Oscar's of Kenya, the Kalasha Awards are scheduled to be held on Saturday June the 29th, at the Canivore.

It's dissapointing though that there is no category for animation. Kenya Film commission, what happened to this ? (comment by Alex Gakuru at 1.40pm)
NOMINEE LIST :

FILM AWARDS:

a) Best Leading Actor

I. Peter King [Formula X]
II. Mburu Kimani [The Race]
III. Godfrey Odhiambo [Malooned]
IV. Ken Ambani [From a Whisper]

b) Best supporting Actor

I. Abubakar Mwenda [From a Whisper]
II. Peter Kinuthia [Unseen Unsung Unforgotten]
III. Melvin Alusa [Formula X]
IV. Paul Njoka [By Any Means Necessary]

c) Best Leading Actress

I. Nice Githinji [All Girls Together]
II. Karen Lucas [Dance For Wives]
III. Janet Kirina [Benta]
IV. Corine Onyango [From a Whisper]

d) Best Supporting Actress

I. Mumbi Maina [Unseen Unsung Unforgotten]
II. Wambui Murima [Backlash]
III. Lydia Gitachu [Unseen Unsung Unforgotten]
IV. Mama Njeri [Village Cassanova]

e) Best Cinematography

I. Unseen Unsung Unforgotten
II. Formula X
III. From a Whisper
IV. Killer Necklace

f) Best Editing

I. From a Whisper
II. Uncovering the Media
III. Unseen Unsung Unforgotten
IV. Formula X

g) Best Scriptwriter in Original Screenplay

I. Cajetan Boy [Backlash]
II. Wanuri Kahiu [From a Whisper]
III. Steve Ominde [Formula X]
IV. Mona Ombogo [Unseen Unsung Unforgotten]

h) Best Film Overall

I. From a Whisper
II. Benta
III. Backlash
IV. Unseen Unsung Unforgotten.

i) Best Director

I. Wanuri Kahiu [From a Whisper]
II. Judy Kibinge [Killer Necklace]
III. Robby Bresson [Help]
IV. Mona Ombogo/ Njoki Mbuthia [Unseen Unsung Unforgotten]

j) Best Documentary Feature

I. Mo & Me
II. Uncovering the Media
III. A Voice in the Dark
IV. Unquiet

k) Best Short film

I. The Killer Necklace
II. Dance For Wives
III. Wale Watu
IV. Zeinabu Rudi Nyumbani

l) Best River wood film

I. The Race
II. Machangi
III. Family Betrayal
IV. Village Cassanova
TELEVISION AWARDS:

a) Best Actor in a Television Series

I. Rabron Osanyo (Jack) [Mother-in-Law]
II. Joseph Kinuthia (Omosh) [Tahidi High]
III. Tony Njuguna [Makutano Junction]
IV. Charles Bukeko (Papa) [Papa Shirandula]

b) Best Actress in a Television Series

I. Linet Atieno (Hilda) [Wash and Set]
II. Jackline Nyaminde (Wilbroda) [Papa Shirandula]
III. Elizabeth Wanjiru (Charity-Shosh) [Mother-in-Law]
IV. Lucy Wangui (Judge) [Vioja Mahakamani]

c) Best Performance in a Comedy

I. Charles Bukeko (Papa)-[Papa Sirandula]
II. Daniel Ndambuki (Churchhill)-[Churchill]
III. Benson Wanjau (Ojwang)-[Vitimbi]
IV. Davis Mwambili (Inspekta Mwala)- [Inspekta Mwala]

d) Best TV Drama

I. Makutano Junction
II. Heartbeat FM
III. Tahidi High
IV. Better Days

e) Best Comedy Program

I. Churchill live
II. Papa Shirandula
III. Vioja Mahakamani
IV. Vitimbi

f) Best Talk Show

I. The Woman’s Show
II. Time Yetu
III. Agenda Kenya
IV. Hatua

g) Best TV Program Overall

I. Makutano Junction
II. The Woman’s Show
III. Destination Kenya
IV. Churchill Live

h) Best TV Script

I. Joseph Wachira [Tahidi High]
II. Mwenda Njoka [J.M.Karuiki-Kenya’s Secret History Series]
III. Natasha Likimani/Wanjiru Kairu [Tabasamu]
IV. Jennifer Gatero [Better Days]

i) Best TV Producer

I. Catherine Wamuyu Nguku [Mother-in-Law]
II. Tony Mwite [Wash and Set]
III. Irene Mukonyoro [Makutano Junction]
IV. Anthony Lukhwile [Churchill Live]

j) Best TV Director

I. Victor Gatonye [Makutano Junction]
II. Edwin Nyongesa [Wakilisha]
III. Mudegu Kibwana Onguso [Papa Shirandula]
IV. Matthew Robinson [Heartbeat FM]

k) Best TV Documentary

I. Making of a Nation
II. J.M. Karuiki-Kenya’s Secret History Series
III. Nobel Pokot Girl
IV. Rite of Passage

For more information check out the Kalasha Awards website here.

Africa Jobs through Microsoft Students-to-Business

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:28:00 +0000

Are you a graduating student looking for an internship or a job in the IT field? Are you a Microsoft Partner or Customer hoping to recruit students with the skills to meet the demands of today’s technology industry?

Welcome to Microsoft Students to Business, a community initiative connecting Microsoft, Microsoft Partners and Customers, with technology students from leading universities and colleges.

To register for the programme as either a current/ex-student or a potential employer visit the WECA Portal here and you stand a chance to recruit or get employment.

*The WECA portal is for the following countries : Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal .If your country is not listed there , please visit www.microsoft.com/s2b to find it.

Reduce Data Rate and Increase Speed on Safaricom

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Since web 2.0 became real, most of web users are not necessarily geeks and few I know have experimented with Opera on the Desktop. Thought I'd share a trick I learnt that actually works(very few that I learn do... hehe).

pera Turbo(Beta) is a server-side optimization and compression technology that speeds up data transfer and to reduces the amount of data that needs to be downloaded in order to view the page by up to 80%. Now this is quite something if you feel exploited by the TelCon's Data Rates in Kenya if you are charged by the MB. It does also speed up your EDGE if you are inZane. So far I'm doing rates of abit more than HALF of what I was using meaning my bundles last TWICE as long.

You can download the test version of Opera Turbo right here and start playing around with it right away.

There are however some drawbacks which are tweak-able trade-offs for compression like getting hazy images but if you may be desperate for information/research/mail (not really media and you-tubing) this is the tool for you. For torrenters it also has a built-in client. I am still testing and discovering, so I'll update.

PS: Telkom-Orange have a bundle of 2GB for 2K. Sounds quite enticing. Early reviewers sound happy about their EDGE quality. It should be worth checking out.

Ericsson Career Day

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:16:00 +0000

On the 14th May 2009, Ericsson Kenya will be hosting an Ericsson Experience Day at the Sarit Centre.

The aim of this day is to showcase Ericsson as an employer of choice to undergraduates/graduates from nine universities across Nairobi. Their main objective is to secure 15 top calibre graduates who will participate in a rotation programme with the purpose of securing a full time career as part of the Ericsson Kenya Team.

If you are interested to know more then feel free to visit:

http://www.joinericsson.com

WhereCamp Africa Nairobi 04.04.2009

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

New school GIS to the traditional mapper is 'Business Unusual' rather than 'Business as usual'...

This event was one of the highlights of my tech-calendar for '09. Hosted at the ILRI Nairobi(Uthiru) Campus Grounds, WhereCamp, was the free unconference for geogeographers, mobile location experts and social cartographers and all kinds of folks interested in place. It was an opportunity to exchange ideas, questions, projects, politics, technical issues and make new friends (or rather network, friends with benefits... ).

One of the memorable contributions were from my pal from M$, Wilfred Mworia who did an eye-opener on Mobile Computing Technology and gave a sneak-peak of Microsoft's Geo-Life Architecture, a research project in China. GeoLife enables user to share travel experience using GPS trajectories.
Will also coined 'ku-facebook' a term used in reference to the impact of the Social Network site and the commoditization of social networking.
PS: Check out Will's Afrinnovator Website. It is basically about putting Africa and African Innovation on the map!

Had a fun exchange with Micheal Lin, a Lecturer at Stanford Uni, who showed me some of what they are working on to create a Green Dorm, a virtually self sustaining 'Green' Building that would be the coolest(no pun intended) place to live on campus. He is currently teaching a course at Stanford University entitled Sustainable Development Studio, in which students are creating sustainable solutions to real-world problems, including designing the green dorm at Stanford slated to be completed in 2009. Micheal has recently been in East Africa to sampling miniature electricity generator gadget which could apparently pump a 20-minute(Talk-time) charge on your average phone with five arm-swing pulls.

Google, one of the sponsors of the event, who had launched Google Map Maker for Kenya which enables locals to create and contribute to GMaps. Jessica Pfund the Google GIS Specialist for Kenya show cased it and even gave us the Google Map Maker Kenya source data download for non commercial users here. So the next time you search for hotels, restaurants or even for Kenyan Currency/forex, just go to Google Maps.

Other outfits, too many to remember off-the-top, that participated were InternationalFoodPolicyResearchInstitute, AGCommons, ESRI, ILWIS, WFP, CharitySolutions, ILRIKenya, and more...

For those interested the next WhereCamp Africa will be held in Bamako 2010

In the Pic: @judemwenda and @whynnot, my Twitpals.

Freebies: Google Earth 5.0 CD, ILWIS Open Software CD, WhereCamp T-Shirt, Google T-Shirt, Happy Hour - Drinks Free.

The Genesis of the First Kenyan EV

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +0000

For the last one month I have been doing some research on the EV's(Electric Vehicles) that are manufactured in the US and Europe to find out their best design criteria and approach. For those of you who missed this, De Uitvinders(The Inventors Foundation – Netherlands) in conjuction with Development Through Media (DTM) and the University of Nairobi among others are collaborationg in the production of a Film, The Inventors – The African Race (previously aka The Inventors come to Africa).

Our task as the University of Nairobi and more specifically as the WAZA Platform in this film is to see the actualization of the Electric Vehicle around which the synopsis of the film is based. Hugo Vrijdag who heads the project had been kind enough to provide sketches of his ideas of this vehicle but has given us the liberty to modify or even create a whole new design. Below is a sample of his design.

I immediately understood his train of thought and what came to mind was the popular three wheeler EV created by Rick G. Doran. The Doran is a front-wheel-drive (FWD) design that uses the entire drivetrain from a 1980-89 Subaru Hatchback.
The electric version uses an off-the-shelf series wound DC motor, deep cycle lead-acid golf cart batteries, and a transistor chopper for smooth speed control. In-town range is about 60 miles. Batteries can be recharged overnight using a conventional 110-volt charger.

A stunning coincidence is that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering some years ago wanted to begin 'ambitious' project to convert to an Electric Vehicle, a 1985 Subaru-Leone 1800 GLF (donated by a sponsor- pictured).

Although this project never took off, Dr. K. Gachigi, a Lecturer at the Faculty, has seen this as a providential opportunity to jump-start it. As the Patron of the WAZA Platform, he is key to facilitating the projects' co-ordination with The University and also the wondrous facilities of the new FabLab.

As Project Leader, my first task is to do some background research on the budget estimates we will expect. The immediate decision would be whether to convert the existing Subaru as-is. Do we use it's chasis and build a light-weight(Fibre-Glass) body? Or do we build the Doran and use the Subaru drive-train as done by Rick.

I will be posting more information on our progress on this forum. I welcome your questions or advice if you are knowledgeable in this field, or if you have had the experience of building an EV! Stay tuned...

Is the future really here?

noreply@blogger.com (Obie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:37:00 +0000

On the 10th of March 2009, students of the University of Nairobi held a demonstration across the Central Business District in protest of the murders of Oscar Kamau King’ara and John Paul Oulu (GPO, a student) of the Oscar Foundation that took place right in the campus grounds. These murders are alleged to be linked to the Mungiki Sect and are also alleged to have been committed by a unit of the police force. This among many other extra-judicial killings alleged to have been carried out by this unit motioned the demonstrators to chanting the now clarion call that has been echoed by members of Civil Society, “Ali Must Go!”. Major General Hussein Ali is the Police Commissioner of the Kenya Police.

They took the opportunity to also voice their protest on the several issues that have tainted the 'Grand Coalition's' governance of the state.

Contrary to the history of SONU(Students' Organization of Nairobi University) demonstrations, this one was a relatively peaceful protest save for the few incidents by rogue demonstrators towards the end of the march.

We -and I believe I speak with the majority of the student population- are deeply unsatisfied by the actions of our political leaders under whose authority we placed our beloved country only to be damned by tales of grand corruption, impunity and even murder!